PlayStation Owners Thread v3

So I'm late to the party on this one, but over the weekend I discovered that at some point they updated the YouTube app so that you can use an iOS device (and I assume Android devices, too) as a remote control, and suddenly it's an incredibly convenient way to watch YouTube videos from the comfort of your comfy TV chair. I've got a launch PS3 (60GB Fat still going strong), and had tried the app previously (and before that tried watching videos on the PS3's browser) but before now it was a pretty rotten experience; now, though, the current app is stable and almost fiendishly easy to use and control. I actually wound up having it on a good portion of the day yesterday while I caught up on chores - queued up a bunch of PAX coverage, Let's Plays and various videos people had emailed me the links to in the last couple months, and let 'er rip. Using my iPod Touch as a touch-screen remote control with a keyboard was a huge improvement over using either the DualShock or a remote control.

I've got a 27" monitor on my desktop computer, so I know I'm not getting any more resolution when I watch on the TV, but somehow the video just seems to look better there than when I'm sitting at my desk.

So I'm late to the party on this one, but over the weekend I discovered that at some point they updated the YouTube app so that you can use an iOS device (and I assume Android devices, too) as a remote control, and suddenly it's an incredibly convenient way to watch YouTube videos from the comfort of your comfy TV chair. I've got a launch PS3 (60GB Fat still going strong), and had tried the app previously (and before that tried watching videos on the PS3's browser) but before now it was a pretty rotten experience; now, though, the current app is stable and almost fiendishly easy to use and control. I actually wound up having it on a good portion of the day yesterday while I caught up on chores - queued up a bunch of PAX coverage, Let's Plays and various videos people had emailed me the links to in the last couple months, and let 'er rip. Using my iPod Touch as a touch-screen remote control with a keyboard was a huge improvement over using either the DualShock or a remote control.

I've got a 27" monitor on my desktop computer, so I know I'm not getting any more resolution when I watch on the TV, but somehow the video just seems to look better there than when I'm sitting at my desk.

This has been around for a while - I'd say at least a year. First, they gave you a code to enter into your device. Then they offered a QR so that you could snap it in. With the announcement of Chromecast, it's just baked right into the software on both your phone and your PS3. Works with Netflix, too, though initial connection can be a little touch and go. (Works just fine after you do get the pairing going.) The UI is a little different, with an additional button, but it's essentially the same thing.

Ironically, I wanted to post to ask if anyone has had any stability issues with YouTube on the PS3. I get that there can be a bandwidth issue because ISPs are dicks (thank you, Ars Technica), but the YouTube application actually freezes my PS3 sometimes, causing a reset. Twice, I've actually had no issue until backing out of YouTube - whereupon the console hangs, beeps, and resets. Anyone else get this?

It's really annoying, because I'm getting more and more into YouTube content. It had always been more of an infrequent time-waster, but now there are channels I actually want to watch.

Sony just announced the Vita TV. Currently only priced and dated for Japan (¥10k/mid-Nov), but it's basically a Vita with an HDMI-out instead of a screen and controls. That means not only does it play PS1/PSP/PSV games natively, it'll function as a Remote Play client for your PS4 (and PS3, I'd assume).

Supports the DS3, withDS4 support to be patched in later. For now, you can't play PSV games that require the touchscreen, but that could change once DS4 support is added.

For now, you can't play PSV games that require the touchscreen, but that could change once DS4 support is added.

That would be ridiculous. A touchpad can't replace the touch interface of a touchscreen. The UI paradigm is totally different. You might get by with a hardware-level overlay showing your finger location on the pad and click to "tap," but it would never work for games (think, try playing Plants vs. Zombies Vita that way).

Besides, that's only one of the touch pads. What about the rear touch?

Seems like the touch interface on Vita games is about to become very optional.

I wonder how Vita games will look blown up to a 60" 1080p screen. Actually, what resolution will it be able to render at? Still the standard Vita res (540p)? Text is going to look very...not good, if that is the case.

Edit: they announced it will output 720p and 1080i. But that isn't the same as rendering resolution.

The unit will output either 720p/1080p for standards, but I don't know that 540p is a problem. COD renders on the PS3 at 540p, even with Black Ops 2. So Vita images scaled up to 720p, what'll be wrong with the text?

Click spoiler for pics of my Vita output, with smooth text that should scale fine and be bigger on the screen so easier to read.

Spoiler: show

EDIT: There's also some sub-Vita resolution games. Haven't played non-native games lately, but those would be a bit more blurry, unless they render 3D and 2D UI at different levels.

EDIT2: And if the hardware is capable of running video at 720/1080p, would really hope the Vita OS is patched to support higher resolution content for capable apps like Netflix.

Thing is Sony should be able to add a circle icon for wherever your finger touches the DS4 touchpad and make it appear as an overlay (same as notifications) over the game. Then when you press on the touchpad button it tells the game a touch happened where your cursor is floating.

Hard to say how much the smaller surface area will hinder accuracy and probably depend on the game, even though the PS4 touchpad resolution sounds good at 1920x900.

I wonder how Vita games will look blown up to a 60" 1080p screen. Actually, what resolution will it be able to render at? Still the standard Vita res (540p)? Text is going to look very...not good, if that is the case.

Edit: they announced it will output 720p and 1080i. But that isn't the same as rendering resolution.

For $100, I don't have high expectations. If you want high-resolution rendering made for display on a TV, Sony has the PS3 and soon PS4 for that. This is a PS console extender and Vita game playing device, which means it won't be as good as when you're natively using a PS3/4 or Vita.

Reports are the Vita TV only goes up to 1080i, so not equal to other video streaming boxes. Fine for games, but really lessons my desire as a video streamer.

That's the output resolution. No word on the actual rendering resolution. They could render video at 960x544 and scale it up, which would be even worse.

I don't think it will necessarily be "blocky" but text definitely won't be crisp. Aliasing will be much more apparent, too.

Didn't want to add a 3rd edit to my post, but was in reference to my earlier post hoping they put hooks in the OS to allow capable apps like Netflix to run at higher resolutions, and how news that the hardware ultimately limits it to not be 1080p anyway. Still speculation on if Sony adds resolution changes in the OS, of course.

Somehow missed Artichoke Sap already mentioned an overlay cursor, and I repeated his point. This appropriately feels like a Monday morning.

Well, I ignored my own point in replying to Magus`, so that's my fault. But I'll happily reappropriate your excuse for myself.

Still, playing PvZ on a touchpad, that you have to click (no separate mouse button) no less, sounds positively awful to me, so I guess I'll have to take Magus's word for it.

Also, having a hardware cursor overlay, even though I brought it up just to refute it, is a fanboy fairy-dust solution to Vita touchscreen games playing on a TV. It's fine in theory, but it's only that. Also it doesn't sound like the Vita TV is shipping with a DS4, so market fragmentation alone makes it not worth adding into the firmware.

I wonder how Vita games will look blown up to a 60" 1080p screen. Actually, what resolution will it be able to render at? Still the standard Vita res (540p)? Text is going to look very...not good, if that is the case.

Edit: they announced it will output 720p and 1080i. But that isn't the same as rendering resolution.

As mentioned, upscaled 540p won't necessarily look "bad" — especially since a straight pixel doubling gets you to 1920x1080 — though it obviously won't look as nice as native 1080p. I'd expect that Vita games and anything you do via RP will be at the Vita's native resolution, but it's possible that Netflix and the like can be run at 1080p on the Vita TV itself. They haven't announced anything like that though. Regardless, if the quality of streamed video is a primary concern for you, the PS3 is only $100 more than the Vita TV, and it includes the DS3.

Speaking of streamed content though, this little box could be quite a killer once they have PS3 games streaming on Gaikai…

The intro video shows this, both PS4 and PS3 Remote Play. It starts at ~1:50 in the presentation.

Nice. I missed that when watching the UStream.

Quote:

Is this fanfic, or stated by someone at Sony?

DS4 support? Stated as forthcoming by Sony, and they showed a DS4 being used with the Vita TV for RPing your PS4. Using the DS4's touchpad as a replacement for the native touch controls on the Vita? Speculation on my part based on what's theoretically possible, though as discussed, it may not be a practical solution for many/most games.

Theoretically, Sony could mandate DS3/DS4 "fallback" controls for Vita games, just like they mandate Vita fallback controls on PS4 games to support Remote Play. They haven't announced anything like this, but it's only been about 12 hours since they announced the product.

I have a launch day PS4 on pre-order, my first console (aside from picking up a Vita a week or so ago) since the N64, so I've missed out on most of the console exclusives for quite a long time.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that I'm not terribly excited about any of the day 1 launch titles, except possibly for a launch "window" game: Infamous.

I've been thinking lately what I might do instead is cancel the pre-order, and either get a used PS3 off craigslist (or possibly more likely one of the PS3 bundles from Amazon, as I'd rather not deal with the uncertainty/hassle of a craigslist deal). There's a reasonable back catalog that I might be interested in playing, including:

Perhaps some classics too (some of these could be found on the Vita, however):. Jak & Daxter Collection. Ratchet & Clank Collection. Metal Gear Solic collection

The advantage here is that this would keep me busy for awhile, the games would be relatively cheap, and I could wait and see if Sony makes a good bundle available spring/summer 2014.

The advantage of sticking with the PS4 is that I avoid investing my money in old technology, and I may or may not be able to play (some?) of the above games via Gaikai (well?) at some point in 2014. Oh, and I shouldn't expect any deals on games until well into 2014.

So questions:

1. Am I completely off my rocker?2. Have the above games "aged well" (with the exception of beyond two souls and GTAV which aren't even out yet)?3. Any other must play exclusives that I've missed?

A big part of Killzone was multiplayer for back when they came out. GTA V is very likely to come to PS4. Infamous 2nd Son will probably trump the pass games in every way. There is going to be a steady stream of 3rd party games and support will be shifting towards next gen making it a far more future proof investment.

^ Have you been playing non-console games on a PC? Even if so, you'll find a decent number of games to play on the PS3 that will take you a while to get through. I would recommend the PS3 now, PS4 later path if only because you get a large number of quality, cheap games to buy now. Getting a PS4 means having a small number of games of unknown quality to play in 2 months. Getting a PS4 next year means you'll have more good games to pick from, and the launch titles will be lower in price.

Keen isn't wrong either. PC ownership is a factor, and the PS3 has exclusive fun hits which are cheaper if you're looking to buy games and not rent. Could be my mindset that I'm tired of this generation. I'm looking over all the games slated around launch of the PS4 and I don't feel like there will be a lull where I won't have something to play on it.

If you are looking for bang for your buck, getting the ps3 gives you access to a ton of great games for cheap, I think all the singleplayer portions of the games you listed will hold up. As a primarily 360 gamer switching to PS4, I have been going through the exclusives I missed on ps3 and have been pleased. As for buying one, check your local Targets and Walmart/Meijer/Grocery chain X stores, and any other places that don't jump to mind for selling games, as there are a ton of older bundles in clearance sections of those stores, at least in my area.

That said, I agree I would want more reasoning before outright suggesting one way or the other. A big advantage of PS4 at launch is going to be all the free games available, whether 'free' via playstation plus or just plain free to play, like Warframe, War Thunder, DCUO, and Planetside. Of course, you'll get a ton of value out of ps plus with the Vita and Ps3, too, so again, more of a toss up.

infamous 1/2/FoB are worth a PS3 purchase, in my opinion. Yeah, you're late to the party, but it doesn't look like you care too too much about multiplayer. Outside of jumping on MP while it's hot, I just don't see the point in getting the latest and supposedly greatest right as they come out.

Do not forget the God of War series. Even the first two hold out with the HD remakes, but when you get to III, OMG, is it awesome. And then you can forget Ascension. Really, it's basically terrible even if it is beautiful.

^ Have you been playing non-console games on a PC? Even if so, you'll find a decent number of games to play on the PS3 that will take you a while to get through.

Kinda-sorta. If a game comes up for sale on Steam, I might purchase it. I've honestly not had much time to game since 2010 or so.

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I would recommend the PS3 now, PS4 later path if only because you get a large number of quality, cheap games to buy now. Getting a PS4 means having a small number of games of unknown quality to play in 2 months. Getting a PS4 next year means you'll have more good games to pick from, and the launch titles will be lower in price.

That's sorta my thinking right now. There are some PS4 launch titles that I'm interested in (Knack, for example), but I'm not sure that I'm $60 interested in them.

Personally, if I'm gonna be buying electronics, I'm definitely gonna get the latest one, especially if it's something I may not repurchase for 10 years.

I have the same feeling too, which is why I'm somewhat conflicted. PS4 is certainly on the purchase radar right now, I'm mainly trying to decide if it is in November, or 6-10 months from now.

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Why did you "avoid" consoles for so long, and what made you decide to buy one now? That may affect the advice.

Not so much "avoid" as being apathetic, and part PC master race. I had some friends with Xboxes when I was in college, so I could get my halo fix from them. When the 360 came out, I had just finished undergrad, and had other things that I needed to spend my money on (furniture, for example). When the PS3 came out, the price made me say "LOL no". By then, I was deep in grad school as well, so minimal discretionary spending + shrinking free time had me not really caring for a long time.

Fast forward to now: Done with all my degrees, and wife has started nursing school. Have some spare free time. Free time is valuable, however, and got frustrated this summer dealing with patches, subtle incompatibilities, monkeying with settings to maximum FPS. I want a plug and play experience, so console it is for me going forward. (Not to mention the fact that having a dedicated device to gaming that's not my work laptop will, I think, help me stay focused when I *must* work).

infamous 1/2/FoB are worth a PS3 purchase, in my opinion. Yeah, you're late to the party, but it doesn't look like you care too too much about multiplayer. Outside of jumping on MP while it's hot, I just don't see the point in getting the latest and supposedly greatest right as they come out.

Well, the PS3 will give you more immediate gratification, but the PS4 will give you more long term value and better synergy with your Vita. The PS4 will also have graphics closer to what you get on your PC, and will even be getting some of the more popular F2P PC games at or near launch, like Warframe, War Thunder, Planetside, Blacklight, etc. The existence of franchises you may/could play now on the PC may help ease your transition to a fiddle-free lifestyle. Actually, between F2P games coming over from PC and the IGC on PS+, you may find that not only does PS4 fill your limited free time, it may do so for comparatively little out of pocket.

If you're serious about "switching" to console gaming and realistically see yourself buying a second console in 12-18 months, I'd say go ahead and get the PS3 now and wait for a good PS4 bundle to drop. On the other hand, if you're likely to buy one or the other but not both, I'd go with the PS4, myself.

Woohoo! - although I'm not sure I can devote enough time to play them...I had just completed Saints Row 3, (getting ready for GTAV ) and now PSN+ is giving me even more potential time sinks. Aaaahhhh!!!

btw: I just 'd while noticing your tribus. Greetings from a few miles downstream

While some of the PS4 games might actually be good (I'm very skeptical on launch games) you might get what, 3 good games in the next year? You'll have access to 5x that currently on the PS3. At half the price, plus games that are probably 1/3 to 1/2 the price of PS4 games, I don't see why anyone would pass that up.

This isn't like the last gen or 2 where the current system was a dog and the newer ones were really impressive by leaps and bounds.